queen-sheep 100 Prompts and Drabbles Challenge
by River's Rain
Summary: Prompt #1: Pride Prompt #2: Unprofessional
1. Pride

Prompt 1: Pride (Annabeth/Nico (Sibling Love)  
Her fatal flaw was pride. It made her invincible, but it also made her the weakest of them. The clique of the school: A.K.A. The Seven. Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leo Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, and Annabeth Chase. It was this group that ruled the school. They were of the highest social ranking. Then there were The Alphas. They were basically The Seven, but for those who didn't get into it. This was the next best thing. It included of Thalia Grace, Calypso Ogygia, Reyna, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Octavian, and Nico, but he had left the group in the middle of the school year, which had created an uprising. Something like that had never happened. But then, of course, everyone brushed it off and treated Nico the way they did before he joined The Alphas. The little boy who just couldn't be taken seriously. It hurt Annabeth to see this. Nico was almost her little brother, and she saw that he was hurting, even if he didn't show it. But Annabeth couldn't do anything about it. Why? It was her pride that had stopped her. The same pride that led her into becoming a part of The Seven, the same pride that led her to becoming one of the most favored student in the teachers' and students' point of view, for she was so smart and always willing to help anybody. But that pride also had blocked her from saving Nico from his daily torture. Her pride had thought that Nico was too low of a rank to be saved from, and didn't deserve Annabeth's help. And the part that Annabeth hated the most? It was the fact that she emagreed /emwith this voice. Nico had emchosen /emto be apart from The Alphas. He emdeserved /emthis. He could've stayed with The Alphas. But he had brought this fate upon himself. It just made sense this way. But this thinking hadn't stopped Annabeth's heart from breaking every time she saw Nico, all alone at the corner of the cafeteria. He had grown thinner, more than before, and was dangerously pale. She had talked to Hazel, Nico's sister. But she had said there was nothing to worry about. She was checking up on him, and made sure he ate his breakfast and dinner, even if he didn't eat lunch. But what made Annabeth go completely broken inside was that Hazel was hiding something. So, she decided to follow the siblings to their house. NO, not in a stalker-ish way, but as a protective sister. But what she had seen at their family household almost made her scream. Why? It wasn't the fact that Nico had broken off all ties to the world, barely listened to anyone, even his father, whom Nico was too afraid of to even whisper against, but it was the fact that when Hazel had walked into the bathroom at night, she had seen Nico holding a knife. Inching it closer and closer to his wrist, until Hazel had burst out behind the door and took the knife. Hazel placed it on the sink, and hugged her brother, tears streaming down her face. Annabeth was confused. emWhy? Why Nico? Why is it always him? And now this…just when I thought it was going to be okay…/emBut Annabeth learned something that day. Maybe pride wasn't always the best.


	2. Unprofessional

100 Prompts Challenge  
Entry 2: Unprofessional (Reyna/Nico)  
She had shown emotion. That was _not _the Roman way. She had to stay strong, and she couldn't show any feelings or weakness. That would be _unprofessional_. She was a _praetor, _and she had to lead her Romans into battle. If she showed any type of weak link, the Roman camp would see her as someone who didn't deserve to be a leader. They would just think of her as some amateur. Rome would perish without a leader, and the formation of their elite army would be diminished. Why was it that she could not just get this around her head and throw away all emotion? Why? The question remained. First it was Jason, then Percy. But now, Nico? This was ridiculous. The Big Three…the three cousins were now closer than ever, with the war over, but she couldn't help but see the gap between Percy and Nico. She had asked, but she had never gotten an answer. She had once been so close, when Nico was talking to Jason, but then he had to acknowledge her presence. But why was she so obsessed with something so simple like this? She was a daughter of Bellona. She could fight battles and wars and not break down after seeing countless of loved ones die. But this she could not stand. To be so close, but to be so far, Reyna could not bear that fact. She had never felt so distant in her life. Everyone, EVERYONE knew. Everyone but her. Why was that people loved to torture her? She needed to know. She HAD to. But she wasn't allowed to. The Fates, so harsh and cruel, had given her the fate similar to Calypso's She would fall for many men, but they would not love her back. She would always be left out, always kept in the darkness of ignorance. But one day, that had all changed. She was spoken to. Not out of duty, or fear, or respect. It was out of friendship. Nico was the only true friend Reyna had thought she had had. And although the little boy seemed like nothing, he was the most important thing to her. He was her first real friend. Yes, there was Jason, and Percy, but they were not at all the same as Nico. He could relate to her, because he felt the same pain she did—losing a sibling in the demigod life; living a misunderstood life, and completely and utterly alone. But not for long…  
"Hey". Nico said, stepping out of the shadows. "Do you mind if we take a small walk? I have to talk to you".  
"Okay. Just give me a few minutes".  
"I'll be out".  
"Alright". Reyna quickly took out a charm necklace from her sister, which was supposed to give her good luck. "It's now or never, charm". Reyna exited the praetor's house, breathing in the fresh air of Rome. "Hi". Maybe emotions weren't so bad after all.  
-Two months later-  
"Lady and Mother. Why do you come?" Reyna asked.  
"Daughter, I am aware that you are currently dating Nico di Angelo. But I come here to tell you, both as a mother and your leader, _not _to."  
"WHAT?! Mother, this is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Please, don't take him away."  
"Reyna, you _know _that you shouldn't do this. Nico is a bad influence. He's so..._unprofessional."_ There was that word. There it was again. _Unprofessional_. How many times had she told herself that she was being unprofessional, dating a boy like di Angelo? He wasn't really understood. You never knew what he was thinking. So why did she love him?_ "_I don't want you to rub off him and become unprofessional yourself."  
"Mother...please."  
"Reyna, you _will_ break up with him. Be professional."  
And with that, Lady Bellona left Reyna, sobbing, once again, because, as she thought, '_I'm unprofessional'. _


End file.
